Unraveling Scarlet Thread
by Elroye
Summary: It is a regular day for Rin and his friends, until they are called upon by Mephisto. Everyone knew that the flamboyant headmaster always brought trouble to entertain himself with, but they definitely weren't expecting THIS. "Meet Azazel, King of Spirits, our brother, and Okumura-kun's new teacher!" Mephisto announced with a flourish. Bromance, use of an OC, T for language


_******I am a few chapters behind AnE, and most likely will stay at that same spot for a while, so if you catch mistakes like that, I would greatly appreciate any heads-up.**_

**A/N: Mephisto is already known to be the King of Space and Time, a son of Satan, and especially Rin's half-brother. Let's just pretend Mephisto told everyone about a few things like that. I'll also be making up a lot about the demonic culture and hierarchy, ESPECIALLY THE HIERARCHY which is a complete improvisation to make-up for the fact that I have no idea what goes on with it. And Takara won't be here either. Azazel's character will be****_ based_** off of various Jewish, Christian, and Islamic scriptures and myths that I researched. So if I made mistakes or insulted _anyone_ I am sorry, but please note that I am no expert on any of these things. I simply blended in a few parts that I read about, so it will be inaccurate if referring to a specific religion and culture. Probably inaccurate either way, actually.

**By the way, I credit my friend Omega for assisting me in the creation of the plot. I probably would have either spent more time than I would have liked on finding a good plot, or I would have come up with something lower-quality than what I have planned for this. And, I wouldn't have been as motivated for writing this if it weren't for him. **

**Cheesy as it is, THANKS FOR THE HELP, OMEGA, I KNOW YOU'RE READING THIS AND ROLLING YOUR SQUINTY EYES.**

**Warnings: Possible shounen-ai, bromance, swearing**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Ao no Exorcist, as it belongs to Kazue Katou.**

* * *

"Awright kiddies, we're gonna learn 'bout the Eight Kings of Hell today," Shura said from her perch on the desk at the head of the class. This elicited a few groans from the students, mostly Rin.

"Aw, shaddup Rin. Ya need ta learn this stuff. So, who can name each King, starting from the bottom of the hierarchy? Shoot," she said while turning to Bon. The bi-color haired teen straightened in his chair.

"The eighth in power is Astaroth, King of Rot. He's in charge of demons like Coal Tars and the Impure King," came the gruff reply. Rin's tail snapped side to side angrily and he bared his fangs a bit at the mention of those things. Yukio gave an understanding glance in his brother's direction.

Shiemi tentatively raised her hand, "The seventh would be Amaimon, the King of Earth. He leads Goblins and Golems." At this name, the elder Okumura also twitched irritably.

"After that's the King of Insects, Beelzebub. He controls demons like the Chuchi," Shima stated with a shiver. Rin seemed to sag in remembrance of their camping trip.

"Fifth is the King of Water Egyn, with his Leapers and the Kraken," Izumo said in a clipped tone.

"W-well, he nearly comes head-to-head with the fourth, King of Fire Iblis. He reigns over Peg Lanterns and Salamanders," Konekomaru stuttered a bit.

"..."

It was quiet as everybody waited for Rin to give the third King. He just sat there cluelessly, waiting for the next one. When he noticed how quiet it was, his head darted back and forth, only to see everyone staring at him. After a few seconds, realization dawned and he nervously scratched the back of his neck.

"Uhhh... Can I just do the second one? That's all I know." He received an exasperated nod from Shura, "Mephisto is the King of Space and Time. His real name is Samael, I think? I dunno what kinds of demons those are," he said sheepishly. Shura gave a long sigh.

"Well fine then, I guess we can start with number three, since Rin here don't know him. The second in power, right below Mephisto, is Azazel, the King of Spirits or Air. He is said ta be a six winged, eight horned goat that brought upon weapons and cosmetics. Goats're supposedly symbols of lust, too," she said distractedly while doodling a mutated goat on the blackboard. Rin and Shima giggled at the ridiculously horrible drawing. Ignoring them, she opened her mouth to continue, but only to be interrupted by a loud _pop_ and a puff of smoke.

"Why, hello, Exwires! I just wanted to tell you that I have a quick announcement to make... Which I will tell you once you arrive in my office," the school's headmaster said brightly. Glancing around the room, he seemed to gauge everyone's reactions. When his eyes landed on the blackboard though, they widened slightly. His ever-present smirk stretched even further than possible.

"A goat, eh? How coincidental," he muttered amused. And with that, he was gone in another _poof_.

"... Why couldn't he tell us just then? I mean, he was _right there_," Rin questioned out loud.

The class sighed in unison.

* * *

The six students and their two teachers were waiting for Mephisto in the extravagant office. They were chatting amiably, discussing what could be the reason for this meeting.

"Did you light another forest on fire, Rin? Tut tut tut," Shima reprimanded playfully. Rin let out an indignant huff.

"No, in fact, I didn't. Did some poor girl need to pull a restraining order on you, Shima? Tut tut tut," the oldest Okumura mocked. He smirked when he saw the twitch in between the Aria-in-training's eyebrows.

"Why you, I oughtta-!"

"Oh yeah, Pinky?!"

Yukio sighed and pried Rin away from the other. Shiemi giggled at the two good friends while Izumo face-palmed. The door by a bookcase opened suddenly and everyone grew quiet, pulling their attention to the flamboyant demon. He cleared his throat.

"So, Rin. As you know, I had planned on teaching you demon etiquette and such," Mephisto received a nod. "Well, I thought that it might be too difficult for me to do it by myself, what with the schedule conflicts and all. I mean, you have classes, and I have duties; there's no way I can just follow you around all day," he whined. The complaining expression quickly disappeared, though. It was replaced with his signature smirk. Except this smirk made a shiver run down each of their spines.

"And that's why I brought _him_ here! Meet Azazel, King of Spirits, our brother, and Okumura-kun's new teacher!" Mephisto announced with a flourish. Everyone gasped in shock, their eyes widening and darting around wildly. The two teachers even got in a ready stance.

"..."

It was completely quiet and there seemed to be no signs of a glamorous entrance or even an opening of the door. Rin squinted skeptically.

"... Umm. Where is h-"

"Behind you," came a gravelly voice. The Exwires jumped in surprise and turned around as Yukio and Shura drew their weapons. They blinked at the new addition to the room.

The young man had a stern face and looked just about at Mephisto's tall height, with a lean and toned build. Strange tattoos and jewelry wrapped around his body. He wore odd and revealing clothes, with many belts draped off the left hip and right leg. The man had only some tight, knee-length pants and Eastern fabrics hanging from his hip. He was barefoot and shirtless, only a long scarf-like material partly covering his torso. Thick chains dangled from the neck, wrists, and ankles. When you looked further up, he had slightly curled chin-length black hair that had ivory running through it. A longer part of it was tied to the right in a type of loose ponytail made from his side bangs. His eyes were a pale blue-greyish hue and had a weird inhuman look to them. But what was really freaky were the 9 different goat horns portruding from his head. Some were long and curled, and others were shorter and straighter.

"Azazel... Goddamn yer different from what I thought," Shura muttered while staring at the various ivory shields and weapons hanging from his body. He merely took a glance at her before turning to Mephisto.

"Samael-nii, it is good to see you again. How long has it been?" The exorcists seemed shocked to hear the name, as nobody calls him that. Mephisto took no mind.

"Much too long, Aza. You recently woke up from your long 'nap', so I'd say about that many years," he spoke with a grin. It was nostalgic to hear those nicknames again...

The man, now named as Azazel, gave a small (very small) smile. But it dropped as quick as it appeared and he switched his hard gaze towards Rin.

"So this is the little Prince... Okumura Rin," he mumbled. Said "Prince" made a face at the title and growled.

"Don't call me that. I'm not a fucking prince," he snapped. The tall demon frowned and narrowed his eyes dangerously. Rin froze at the cold gaze boring into him.

"You will be, if you want to learn how to be in control. Being under my charge means learning how to be a proper demon royal. And you _will_ learn," he commanded icily. His tired demeanor changed into something strict and opposite of what it was. It was so sudden that the humans jumped a bit. Rin ground his teeth and was about to retaliate, but the older demon would have none of that.

"You may have lived as a human for a strong majority of your life, but that means absolutely nothing to me. Maybe you have gotten by on the small amount of instincts and training you have scraped up, but compared to some of the lower mid-class demons in Gehenna, I can only say one thing. You. Are. Nothing."

There was a stunned silence as everyone waited to see how the victim of the jabs reacted. Rin merely lowered his head and marched out the door. The remaining seven glared fiercely at the verbal attacker before following.

As the door slammed shut, the horned demon sighed, making his brother chuckle. Mephisto walked around the desk, over towards a couch on the side. He sat gracefully and patted the seat next to him. Azazel walked over and plopped down heavily, letting his head fall on the older demon's lap. A sigh, one of contentment, escaped his lips as his hair was gently stroked in a brotherly way.

"I never will understand your plans for that boy, Samael-nii."

* * *

The Exwires were walking in a circle around Rin, discussing heatedly what they were to do with the new addition to their lives. Their exorcist teachers trailed behind silently, having not spoken a word since leaving Mephisto's office.

"C'mon, ya idiot! You can't just receive teachings from one of the eight _Demon Kings_ for God's sake! This is your life here, do something," Bon yelled in irritation. Rin was glaring at the passing floor with his arms crossed. He really didn't want to learn about demons any more than an exorcist would need to. Why would he when he was going to be Paladin, anyway? But what the King of Spirits said was... Intriguing to say the least. Control? Could he mean control over his flames? He already has that (kind of). His demon side? Other demon-related things that no one but a fellow demon would know?

"Aaaugh! I just don't get it! Maybe I should just go through with this," Rin groaned in frustration. At the disbelieving cries of shock, he spoke aloud his initial thoughts.

"Well, sure it could be dangerous, but what if there are things that only a demon could teach me? Things that could make me stronger, give me more _control_," he elaborated. His friends stared incredulously at his face. Hopefully, they wouldn't think bad of him for wanting to learn from the demon.

"Wow Rin, never thought you had a brain in that thick skull of yours. Anyway, it's your choice what to do. Not like I care," Izumo voiced. Despite the underlying insult, Rin felt strangely encouraged. His classmates nodded reluctantly, but patted his back in agreement. They separated and left, saying their goodbyes. This now left only Yukio and Shura in the hall.

"Do you think it'll be okay, guys? This whole thing," the blue-eyed half-demon asked hesitantly. Of course, he would need the consent of his brother and mentor more than anyone else. Yukio gave a curt nod and tight smile, quickly excusing himself and walking ahead.

Shura let out a long breath, "Do what yer want, Rin. 'm always behind ya," she chirped in support. She skipped ahead, leaving Rin on the hallway alone. He smiled brightly and went his own way home. His friends always had his back.

* * *

_-The next day-_

* * *

"And so the schedule today will be slightly different," declared the headmaster. It was before class had started, a rare time to see Mephisto. He never really came galloping into their room on a daily basis anyway. But it seemed that their new "guest" dictated this behavior.

"I want my brother to come in and interact with humans and the wonderful culture of Japan! He should observe the lives of human children, and he should enjoy life as it is! He should see the joys of anime!" The violet-haired man seemed to sparkle in excitement as he closed his eyes and recited romantic scenes. The teens did not seem too amused, though. His words gave them a bad feeling...

One lid cracked open. "I want you to give him the full experience of the human world and especially Japan. Azazel has not only had some rather... _Rough_ experiences with humans, but he also doesn't get out as much anymore."

"I don't think this is going to end well," Rin whispered desperately to Shiemi.

Oh, Rin only knew the beginning of it.


End file.
